Nov 10, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Report about Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
“The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses” Issue Update—This update describes official discrimination against Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, with a particular focus on countries where members have been imprisoned for their beliefs. These include countries that USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report for designation as countries of particular concern, such as Eritrea, Russia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; countries USCIRF recommended for the Special Watch List, including Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan; as well as South Korea and Singapore. The report also makes recommendations for U.S. policy.
USCIRF documents imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses on its Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List, and Chair Gayle Manchin advocates for Jehovah’s Witness prisoner Dennis Christensen, imprisoned in Russia, as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience project.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].
Additional Name(s): 居麦·纳斯尔
Gender: Male
Current Location: Qaraqash No. 1 Camp
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Uyghur
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: July//2016
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Praying Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Jume Nasir
Extra Bio Info:
Jume Nasir is detained for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.
In July 2016, authorities detained Nasir reportedly for praying inside his business. Additional reasons reported for his detention include being from a "deeply" religious family and violating the family planning policy. Nasir was sent to a reeducation camp.
Publicly Available Information:
- "Jume Nasir" Xinjiang Victims Database
Additional Name(s): 萨塔尔·阿布力孜
Gender: Male
Current Location: No. 2 Vocational Skills Training Center
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Uyghur
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: October/8/2017
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Religious Instruction & Teaching
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Sattar Abliz
Extra Bio Info:
Sattar Abliz is detained for his religious activity and ethnoreligious identity.
On October 8, 2017, authorities reportedly detained Abliz for illegally studying scripture. He was sent to No. 2 Vocational Skills Training Center. Abliz's detention came amid mass detentions of largely Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
Abliz is married with two children.
Publicly Available Information:
- "Sattar Abliz" Xinjiang Victims Database